WINES:

Domaine Roland Lavantureux has been growing grapes in Chablis for generations, but it wasn’t until 1979 that they started bottling their own wine. Quality over quantity is the key here, from a small and distinguished Grand Cru parcel known as Vaudésir. The wine is intensely concentrated and alive...

Château Beauvillage makes one wine and one wine only. They’ve been at it this way since 1925. Good thing they are so skilled at it. Year after year, it delivers its distinctive character. The winemaker adapts the fermentation process to the specific vintage conditions, but always keeping the blend...

There’s no shame in admitting you haven’t heard of Halcón before. This rising star of a cult producer from the Yorkville Highlands of Mendocino County (Mendo to locals) in Northern Cali lays claim to the highest-altitude vineyard in the region. The wind-lashed mountainous plot contains...

This Southern Rhône bad-boy is complex and intense (just how we like it). Although fresh and elegant at first, the oaky blend then slaps your mouth with a deep, spicy and peppery finish. Full in body and perfectly balanced, this wine is here to stand out. La Bastide Saint Dominique estate’s...

Barolo is always in the discussion of the top premium wine regions in the world. If you are bothering to read this, then you probably already know that it is a small area in Piemonte in Northern Italy that produces only red wines made from nebbiolo. Barolo itself is divided into 11 communes...

For the fifth straight vintage, Côtes-du-Rhône experienced extremely high quality fruit and an outright success. Add to that a producer like Domaine Garon who continuously provide wines of exceptional quality at affordable prices, and you have here a very sure thing. This syrah dominant blend is...

Côte de Nuits is the region where pinot noir finds its home in Burgundy, with terroir capable of truly wonderful wines. A step up from the Bourgogne level wine, this Côte de Nuits-Villages from winemaker Mathieu Paquet is a blend of eight different plots. Grapes are handpicked, then fully...

Martinborough chardonnay always comes through with bright fruit, richness on the palate and stunning minerality. The producer hits all the right notes with this one, providing aromas of stone fruits, nectarines and peaches. There’s a hint of vanilla and toastiness from ageing in French oak and the...

To get an idea of the ethos behind the wines of Neck of the Woods, here’s the opening line from their website - ‘We’re not interested in making mass produced sh*t. We believe in bold tastes and bolder characters.’ These are small batch wines made with minimal intervention that fully embrace the...

Badine de la Patache is a reference to the horse whips used by the drivers of 19th century stagecoaches. Château La Patache sits at the site of a former passageway for these stagecoaches in Pomerol. Badine de la Patache is a 90/10 blend of merlot and cab franc sourced from several plots on the...

A blend of native Italian varieties, corvina (60%), corvinone (20%) and rondinella (20%), this Italian beauty is no shrinking violet. On the contrary. It’s big, powerful and robust. Translated, ripasso means to ‘re-pass’, or ‘to go over again’. This refers to the traditional method of putting the...

This southern Châteauneuf-du-Pape made from 100% grenache from old vines is complex, intense and alluring. Although fresh and elegant at first, the oaky blend then envelopes your mouth with a deep, spicy and peppery finish. Full in body and perfectly balanced, this wine is here to stand out. La...

Domaine Serres have crafted an exceptional Châteauneuf-du-Pape with this wine. Grenache plays the leading roll, with a mix of other varieties backing it up. Aromatically, there’s a wide spectrum of raspberry and plum fruit, violet floral notes and sweet baking spice. The palate is weighty and...

Château La Borie, one of the few domains in Côtes-du-Rhône bearing the name Château, was built in the 17th century. Since then, it has passed through several families and is under the care of the Margnat family today. Situated ten kilometres from the left bank of the Rhône river, the winery...

Château La Borie, one of the few domains in Côtes-du-Rhône bearing the name Château, was built in the 17th century. Since then, it has passed through several families and is under the care of the Margnat family today. Situated ten kilometres from the left bank of the Rhône river, the winery...

El Enemigo is easily one of the most exciting producers from Mendoza. They are best known for cabernet franc, but they do some amazing things with malbec (of course), chardonnay and syrah amongst others. This syrah has a touch of viognier, much like how they do it in the Northern Rhône. The wine...

The Langhe region of Piemonte famously encompasses both Barolo and Barbaresco. These are of course the high-end wines with high-end price tags made from 100% nebbiolo. This is what gets the most attention internationally from the region, but it isn’t generally what the locals drink. For their...

This pack of New World reds has got it all. Covering two continents and four varieties (or blends), there is something for every occasion. Whether it’s earthy kiwi pinot or fresh and bold Argentine malbec, these wines show off the charms of forward-thinking new world producers.

Welcoming back a mofo favourite - this is serious, high-brow rosé for people who want more than just empty pleasures and simple distraction. Fresh raspberry and raspberry leaf, a touch of guava and florals on the nose. The palate’s spicy and textured, fruit playing harmony rather than melody. This...

Australians have perfected the cab shiraz blend. We’ve also perfected innovation and a can-do spirit. So Ulithorne here has grabbed the best cabernet fruit from the best SA cabernet region (Coonawarra) to blend with the best old vine shiraz from their estate vineyard in McLaren Vale. The resulting...